Quinton Haywood, 27, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to the charges contained in a Feb. 21, 2018, federal indictment. Haywood has remained in federal custody since his arrest in January 2018.

By pleading guilty today, Haywood admitted that he aided and abetted other individuals to steal firearms that were being shipped across state lines, from Beretta USA in Maryland to the state of Missouri. Haywood also pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting other individuals to possess stolen firearms.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the original federal criminal complaint, Haywood and others stole 650 firearms, along with other cargo, from United Parcel Service (UPS) trailers in Springfield in October 2017.

The firearms were in the process of being shipped from Beretta Firearms in Maryland to Bass Pro Shops in Springfield. The trailers in which the firearms were shipped had been parked in the UPS freight lot in a configuration to prevent access to the trailer doors, by being parked back-to-back, with the roll-up doors facing each other. The trailers were then blocked by longer trailers, which should have acted as a preventative measure from someone backing a truck-tractor to the trailer and pulling it forward.

Sometime between noon on Oct. 28, 2017, and 8:30 a.m. on Oct. 29, 2017, thieves hot-wired two truck-tractors and used them to push and pull various trailers around the lot, allowing the thieves access to the trailer doors. Thieves stole 600 Beretta .380-caliber handguns and 54 Beretta 12-gauge shotguns, as well as an entire pallet of Justin brand boots, numerous power tools and 12 cases of soda. UPS employees discovered the theft on Oct. 29, 2017, and notified law enforcement.

Under federal statutes, Haywood is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by the Springfield, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.